SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF IDENTIFYING CONNECTIONS IN A COMMUNICATIONS PATCHING SYSTEM USING COMMON-MODE CHANNEL SIGNAL TRANSMISSIONS

• US 20100008482A1
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tucker, Peter T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,382,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/93.50
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/68 Testing of releasable connections, e.g. of terminals mounted on a printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/40 Constructional details, e.g. power supply, mechanical construction or backplane
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/136 having patch field management or physical layer management arrangements

Abstract

Communications patching system and methods utilizing common-mode channel communications are provided for identifying patch panel ports to which a backbone cable is connected in a communications patching system, for identifying a patch panel port to which a horizontal cable terminating at a telecommunications outlet is connected in a communications patching system, and for identifying the physical location of first and second connectors of a patch cord in a communications patching system having multiple patching zones.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a patch panel port to which a second end of a backbone cable is connected in a communications patching system, the method comprising:

a) transmitting a signal with identification information over a common-mode channel of a first patch panel port that is connected to the first end of the backbone cable, where the first patch panel port is located in a first of a plurality of patching zones; and

b) scanning common-mode channels of at least some of the patch panel ports in at least one other of the plurality of patching zones to identify a patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising documenting a connection between a patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal and the selected patch panel port transmitting the signal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein documenting a connection comprises logging an identification of the transmitting and receiving patch panel ports in a database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing steps a) and b) for each patch panel port in the selected patching zone.

5. A communications patching system, comprising:

a plurality of patching zones, each patching zone containing one or more patch panels;

a backbone cable that interconnects a first patch panel in a first patching zone and a second patch panel in different second patching zone; and

one or more processors in communication with the patch panels that are configured to select a patching zone from the plurality of patching zones and to cause a signal with an identification of the backbone cable to be transmitted over a common-mode channel of a selected patch panel port in the selected patching zone, and to cause common-mode channels of patch panel ports in the non-selected patching zones to be scanned to identify a patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal.

6. The communications patching system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are configured to document a connection between a patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal and the selected patch panel port transmitting the signal.

7. A method of identifying a patch panel port to which a cable is connected in a communications patching system, wherein the communications patching system includes one or more patch panels, each having a plurality of ports and a plurality of telecommunications outlets, and wherein each telecommunications outlet is hardwired to a respective patch panel port via a cable to define a respective circuit, the method comprising:

transmitting a signal via a common-mode channel of a circuit associated with a telecommunications outlet, wherein the signal includes identification and location information for the telecommunications outlet; and

scanning common-mode channels associated with each of the patch panel ports to identify a patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising documenting a connection between the patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal and the telecommunications outlet transmitting the signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein documenting a connection comprises extracting the telecommunications outlet identification and location information from the signal and storing the extracted information along with an identification of the patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the extracted information and patch panel port identification are stored in a database.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting a signal via a common-mode channel of a circuit associated with a telecommunications outlet is performed with a testing device connected to the telecommunications outlet.

12. A communications patching system, comprising:

a patch panel comprising a plurality of ports, each port connected to a telecommunications outlet via a cable to define a respective circuit; and

a processor in communication with the patch panel that is configured to scan common-mode channels associated with each of the circuits to identify a patch panel port receiving a signal transmitted by a testing device at a respective telecommunications outlet.

13. The communications patching system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to document a connection between a patch panel port receiving a transmitted signal and a telecommunications outlet through which the signal was transmitted.

14. A method of identifying the connectivity of first and second connectors of a patch cord in a communications patching system, wherein the communications patching system includes a plurality of patching zones, the method comprising:

detecting insertion of a patch cord connector into a first patch panel port;

transmitting a signal from the first patch panel port over a common-mode transmission path of the patch cord, wherein the signal contains an identification of a patching zone that the first patch panel port is located within; and

scanning other patch panel ports in the communications patching system to identify a patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising documenting a connection between the first patch panel port and a second patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein documenting a connection between the first patch panel port and a second patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal comprises logging an identification of the first and second patch panel ports in a database.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising documenting that the patch cord second connector has either not been inserted into a patch panel port or that the patch cord second connector has been inserted into a non-intelligent device in response to not receiving the transmitted signal at a patch panel port within a designated period of time.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the patching zone identification comprises a host portion of an IP address assigned to an Ethernet interface of a rack manager controller associated with the first patch panel port.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the patching zone identification comprises a MAC ID assigned to an Ethernet interface of a rack manager controller associated with the first patch panel port.

20. A communications patching system, comprising:

a plurality of patching zones, each patching zone containing one or more intelligent patch panels, wherein each intelligent patch panel comprises a plurality of ports, each configured to detect insertion and removal of a patch cord connector therein; and

one or more processors in communication with the patch panels that, in response to detecting insertion of a patch cord connector into a first patch panel port, are configured to cause a signal to be submitted from the first patch panel port over a common-mode transmission path of the patch cord, wherein the signal contains an identification of a patching zone that the first patch panel port is located within, and to cause other patch panel ports in the communications patching system to be scanned to identify a patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal.

21. The communications patching system of claim 20, wherein the one or more processors are configured to document a connection between the first patch panel port and a second patch panel port receiving the transmitted signal.

22. The communications patching system of claim 20, wherein the one or more processors are configured to document that a second connector of the patch cord has either not been inserted into a patch panel port in response to not receiving the transmitted signal at a patch panel port within a designated period of time.