Intelligent MPO-to-MPO Patch Panels Having Connectivity Tracking Capabilities and Related Methods

• US 20090166404A1
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tucker, Peter T., German, Michael, Macauley, Daniel W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,203,450 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3502 involving direct waveguide displacement, e.g. cantilever type waveguide displacement involving waveguide bending, or displacing an interposed waveguide between stationary waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3885 Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3895 identification of connection, e.g. right plug to the right socket or full engagement of the mating parts keying element on the plug or adapter G02B6/3831; keying element on the ferrule G02B6/3851; keying element for electrical connection H01R13/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3897 Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards G02B6/44528 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/138 using RFID

Abstract

Patch panels are provided that include a mounting frame and a plurality of MPO-to-MPO couplers that are mounted on the mounting frame. Each MPO-to-MPO coupler includes a first connector port that is accessible from the front side of the patch panel and a second connector port that is accessible from the rear side of the patch panel. The patch panels also include a first set of antennas, where each antenna from the first set of antennas is adjacent the first connector port of a respective one of the MPO-to-MPO couplers and a second set of antennas, where each antenna from the second set of antennas is adjacent the second connector port of a respective one of the MPO-to-MPO couplers.

Claims

1. A patch panel having a front side and a rear side, the patch panel comprising

a mounting frame;

a plurality of MPO-to-MPO couplers that are mounted on the mounting frame, each MPO-to-MPO coupler including a first connector port that is accessible from the front side of the patch panel and a second connector port that is accessible from the rear side of the patch panel;

a first set of antennas, wherein an antenna from the first set of antennas is adjacent the first connector port of each respective MPO-to-MPO coupler; and

a second set of antennas, wherein an antenna from the second set of antennas is adjacent the second connector port of each respective MPO-to-MPO coupler.

2. The patch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a first printed circuit board mounted at the front side of the patch panel; and

a second printed circuit board mounted at the rear side of the patch panel.

3. The patch panel of claim 2, further comprising:

a first set of sensors, wherein a sensor from the first set of sensors is adjacent the first connector port of each respective MPO-to-MPO coupler; and

a second set of sensors, wherein a sensor from the second set of sensors is adjacent the second connector port of each respective MPO-to-MPO coupler.

4. The patch panel of claim 3, wherein each sensor in the first and second sets of sensors comprises the combination of an infrared source and an infrared detector.

5. The patch panel of claim 3, wherein the first printed circuit board includes a plurality of cut out portions, each of which exposes the first connector port of a respective one of the plurality of MPO-to-MPO couplers, and wherein the second printed circuit board includes a plurality of cut out portions, each of which exposes the second connector port of a respective one of the plurality of MPO-to-MPO couplers.

6. The patch panel of claim 2, further comprising a first radio frequency identification transceiver on the first printed circuit board and a second radio frequency identification transceiver on the second printed circuit board, wherein the first radio frequency identification transceiver is coupled to at least some of the first set of antennas, and the second radio frequency identification transceiver is coupled to at least some of the second set of antennas.

7. The patch panel of claim 6, further comprising:

a first switching circuit coupled between an output of the first radio frequency identification transceiver and the first set of antennas that is configured to selectively couple one of the first set of antennas to the output of the first radio frequency identification transceiver; and

a second switching circuit coupled between an output of the second radio frequency identification transceiver and the second set of antennas that is configured to selectively couple one of the second set of antennas to the output of the second radio frequency identification transceiver; and

a controller that is configured control the first and second radio frequency identification transceivers and the first and second switching circuits.

8. The patch panel of claim 1, wherein the first connector ports are configured to receive patch cords, and wherein the second connector ports are configured to receive backbone cabling.

9. A communications system, comprising:

a patch panel having a mounting frame and a MPO-to-MPO coupler that is mounted on the mounting frame, the MPO coupler including a first connector port that is accessible from a front side of the patch panel and a second connector port that is accessible from a rear side of the patch panel, an RFID antenna mounted on one of the front or rear side of the patch panel and an RFID transceiver that is coupled to the RFID antenna;

a first communications cable having a first connector that includes a first RFID tag attached to a first end of the first communications cable, the first connector inserted within the first connector port;

a second communications cable having a second connector that includes a second RFID tag attached to a first end of the second communications cable, the second connector inserted within the second connector port;

wherein the RFID antenna is configured to receive information transmitted by both the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag.

10. A patch panel having a front side and a rear side, the patch panel comprising:

a mounting frame;

a plurality of connector ports;

a plurality of RFID antennas, wherein at least some of the RFID antennas are designed to energize RFID tags that are included on cables that are inserted into at least two of the plurality of connector ports; and

an RFID transceiver that is configured to be selectively coupled to each of the plurality of RFID antennas.

11. The patch panel of claim 10, wherein the patch panel comprises an MPO-to-MPO patch panel.

12. The patch panel of claim 10, further comprising a controller, wherein the controller is configured to send a command that places an RFID tag into sleep mode after reading an identifier that is transmitted by the RFID tag.

13. The patch panel of claim 10, wherein the connector ports are provided on both the front side and the rear side of the patch panel, and wherein the RFID antennas are located on only one of the front or rear side of the patch panel.

14. The patch panel of claim 13, further comprising a controller, wherein at least some of the RFID antennas are designed to energize RFID tags that are included on cables that are inserted into connector ports located on both the front and rear side of the patch panel, and wherein the controller is configured to determine whether a respective one of the cables is a patch cord that inserted into a front connector port or a backbone cable that is inserted into a rear connector port based on the identification information transmitted by the RFID tag associated with the cable.

15. A method of determining a first identifier that is stored in a first RFID tag that is associated with a first cord that is plugged into a patch panel and a second identifier that is stored in a second RFID tag that is associated with a second cord that is plugged into the patch panel, the method comprising:

receiving the first cord in a first connector port of the patch panel;

using a first RFID antenna to excite the first RFID tag to determine the first identifier; and

then

commanding the first RFID tag to enter into a sleep mode in which it does not transmit information;

receiving the second cord in a second connector port of the patch panel;

using the first RFID antenna to excite the second RFID tag to determine the second identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first connector port comprises a first connector port of an MPO-to-MPO coupler and wherein the second connector port comprises a second connector port of the MPO-to-MPO coupler.