Systems, Equipment and Methods for Automatically Tracking Cable Connections and for Identifying Work Area Devices and Related Methods of Operating Communications Networks

• US 20110043371A1
• Filed: 05/26/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.), STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Tucker, Peter T., Adriaenssens, Luc Walter, Peluffo, Matias, German, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,538,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/815.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/36 for access to common bus or bus system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4068 Electrical coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/00 Visible signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems, remote indication of seats occupied
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/808 Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/136 having patch field management or physical layer management arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0071 Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0077 Labelling aspects, e.g. multiprotocol label switching [MPLS], G-MPLS, MPAS
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0083 Testing; Monitoring

Abstract

Methods for collecting information regarding a remote connector port that is connected to a patch panel connector port by a communications cable that has at least one data communications channel and a separate control channel are provided in which a first conductor of the separate control channel of the communications cable is biased to power an integrated circuit chip that is associated with the remote connector port. A first signal is transmitted over the separate control channel of the communications cable to the integrated circuit chip associated with the remote connector port. A second signal is received from the integrated circuit chip over the separate control channel of the communications cable in response to the first signal. The second signal includes information regarding the remote connector port.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A method of automatically identifying an end device that is connected to a local area network, the method comprising:

transmitting a first control signal over a control channel that runs from a first connector port on a patch panel of the local area network to an integrated circuit chip mounted on the end device through at least a communications cable, a second connector port and a patch cord;

receiving a second control signal from the integrated circuit chip over the control channel in response to the first signal, the second signal including identifying information for the end device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the integrated circuit chip comprises a first serial ID chip.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the identifying information comprises a MAC ID.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second connector port includes a second serial ID chip that is electrically connected to the control channel.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the second connector port includes a sensor that is configured to detect when a patch cord is plugged into the second connector port.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first control signal is transmitted in response to determining that the patch cord was plugged into the second connector port.

21. The method of claim 15, the method further comprising powering the integrated circuit chip by a first conductive path of the control channel to a voltage sufficient to power the integrated circuit chip.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the integrated circuit chip is part of a label that is mounted adjacent a third connector port that is included on the end device.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the label is a passive electronic label, and wherein the integrated circuit chip is powered by a voltage carried over the control channel.

24. An intelligent connector port assembly, comprising:

a connector port having a plug aperture that is configured to electrically connect a data communications channel of a patch cord that is connected to an input of the connector port to a data communications channel of a communications cable that is connected to an output of the connector port;

an integrated circuit chip;

a first pair of contacts mounted adjacent the plug aperture that are configured to mate with a pair of contacts on the patch cord when the patch cord is received within the plug aperture;

a second pair of contacts that are configured to mate with a pair of conductors in the communications cable that form a control channel;

wherein at least a first contact of the first pair of contacts and a first contact of the second pair of contacts are electrically connected to the integrated circuit chip.

25. The connector port assembly of claim 24, wherein the input of the connector port comprises a plurality of input contacts and the output of the connector port comprises a plurality of output contacts.

26. The connector port assembly of claim 24, wherein the input of the connector port comprises a first plug aperture of a fiber optic adapter and the output of the connector port comprises a second plug aperture of a fiber optic adapter.

27. The connector port assembly of claim 24, further comprising a first printed circuit board, wherein the first pair of contacts is mounted on the first printed circuit board.

28. The connector port assembly of claim 27, wherein the first pair of contacts comprise a pair of contact pads.

29. The connector port assembly of claim 27, further comprising a second printed circuit board and a pair of connection contacts, wherein the second pair of contacts is mounted on the second printed circuit board, and wherein the connection contacts electrically connect the first and second printed circuit boards.

30. The connector port assembly of claim 24, wherein the second pair of contacts comprises a pair of insulation displacement contacts.

31. The connector port assembly of claim 24, wherein the integrated circuit chip comprises a serial ID chip.

32. The connector port assembly of claim 31, wherein the serial ID chip is powered by a voltage received through a first of the second pair of contacts.

33. The connector port assembly of claim 32, wherein a second of the second pair of contacts receives a ground signal.

34. The connector port assembly of claim 25, wherein the connector port comprises an RJ-45 jack having a termination cap, and wherein the termination cap includes a pair of spring loaded pins that are configured to engage respective ones of the second pair of contacts when the termination cap is mounted on a back-end wire connection assembly of the RJ-45 jack.

35. The connector port assembly of claim 25, wherein the connector port comprises an RJ-45 jack having a termination cap, and wherein the termination cap includes a conductor routing assembly for routing the pair of conductors in the communications cable that form the control channel to the second pair of contacts.

36. The connector port assembly of claim 27, further comprising an LED that is mounted on the first printed circuit board and that is electrically connected to the pair of conductors in the communications cable that form the control channel via the second pair of contacts.

37. The connector port assembly of claim 36, wherein the LED is configured to display a status of a circuit that is connected through the connector port.

39. The connector port assembly of claim 36, wherein the LED is configured to automatically emit light in response to generation of an electronic work order that calls for a patch cord to be inserted into the connector port.

40. The connector port assembly of claim 36, wherein the LED is configured so that it can be lit remotely by a system administrator.

41. The connector port assembly of claim 36, further comprising a status button that is mounted on the first printed circuit board, wherein the status button is configured to cause the LED to indicate a circuit status when the status button is activated.

42. The connector port assembly of claim 27, further comprising a spring-loaded shutter that is mounted to cover the plug aperture, the shutter including a contact that mates with a shutter contact on the first printed circuit board when the shutter is in its closed position.

43. The connector port assembly of claim 42, wherein the shutter contact is configured to act as a sensor for determining if a patch cord is plugged into the plug aperture.

38-1. The connector port assembly of claim 38, wherein the LED is configured to emit light if the connector port has full end-to-end connectivity to an enabled switch port.

44-51. -51. (canceled)

52. An RJ-45 connector port assembly, comprising:

a communications cable having first through tenth conductors;

an RJ-45 jack that includes first through eighth wire connection terminals that are mounted on a first printed circuit board and that receive respective of the first through eighth conductors; and

a second printed circuit board that includes ninth and tenth wire connection terminals that receive the ninth and tenth conductors, respectively.

53. The RJ-45 connector port assembly of claim 52, wherein the ninth and tenth wire connection terminals comprise contact pads.

54. The RJ-45 connector port assembly of claim 52, wherein the ninth and tenth wire connection terminals comprise insulation displacement contacts.

55. (canceled)

56. A method of automatically identifying an end device that is connected to a local area network, the method comprising:

transmitting a first control signal over a control channel that runs from a first connector port on a patch panel of the local area network to an integrated circuit chip mounted on the end device through at least a communications cable, a second connector port and a patch cord;

receiving a second control signal from the integrated circuit chip over the control channel in response to the first signal, the second signal including identifying information for the end device.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the method is carried out during a time period where the end device is not powered on.

58-70. -70. (canceled)