Electronic interconnection method and apparatus for minimizing propagation delays
First Claim
1. A module interconnect for minimizing electronic signal propagation delay comprising:
- a backplane having a first side and a second side;
a first plurality of connector rows, each row containing at least one connector mounted on said backplane in a generally parallel side by side relation with at least one connector of another one of said first plurality of rows, each connector within said first plurality of rows having a plurality of contacts, said connectors within said first plurality of rows mounted within a first area of said backplane;
a second plurality of connector rows, each row containing at least one connector mounted on said backplane in a generally parallel side by side relation with at least one connector of another one of said second plurality of rows, each connector within said second plurality of rows having a plurality of contacts, said connectors within said second plurality of rows mounted within a second area of said backplane, each one of said second plurality of connector rows containing a first connector having a first connector end disposed adjacent to at least one connector within one of said first plurality of connector rows, said second plurality of rows disposed non-parallel with respect to said first plurality of rows, and wherein said first area of said backplane does not overlap said second area of said backplane on either side of said backplane; and
a plurality of signal lines for carrying digital information signals comprising at least first and second voltage levels, each of said plurality of signal lines interconnecting at least one contact of a connector within one of said first plurality of connector rows with a contact of a connector in each of only a subset of said second plurality of connectors.
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Abstract
A module interconnection system which minimizes electronic signal propagation delays is disclosed. The module interconnection system includes a backplane, a first plurality of connectors arranged in a side by side generally parallel arrangement, and a second plurality of connectors arranged in a side by side generally parallel arrangement. In a preferred embodiment, the second plurality of connectors are mounted on the backplane at right angles to the first plurality of connectors so as provide short routing paths between each of the second plurality of connectors and at least one of the first plurality of connectors. Point-to-point signal interconnections are selectively utilized to provide data paths between selected contacts of at least one of the first plurality of connectors and selected contacts of the second plurality of connectors. The above described interconnection apparatus permits high speed data communication between modules disposed in at least one of said first plurality of connectors and at least one module disposed in said second plurality of connectors.
77 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A module interconnect for minimizing electronic signal propagation delay comprising:
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a backplane having a first side and a second side; a first plurality of connector rows, each row containing at least one connector mounted on said backplane in a generally parallel side by side relation with at least one connector of another one of said first plurality of rows, each connector within said first plurality of rows having a plurality of contacts, said connectors within said first plurality of rows mounted within a first area of said backplane; a second plurality of connector rows, each row containing at least one connector mounted on said backplane in a generally parallel side by side relation with at least one connector of another one of said second plurality of rows, each connector within said second plurality of rows having a plurality of contacts, said connectors within said second plurality of rows mounted within a second area of said backplane, each one of said second plurality of connector rows containing a first connector having a first connector end disposed adjacent to at least one connector within one of said first plurality of connector rows, said second plurality of rows disposed non-parallel with respect to said first plurality of rows, and wherein said first area of said backplane does not overlap said second area of said backplane on either side of said backplane; and a plurality of signal lines for carrying digital information signals comprising at least first and second voltage levels, each of said plurality of signal lines interconnecting at least one contact of a connector within one of said first plurality of connector rows with a contact of a connector in each of only a subset of said second plurality of connectors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Network switch interconnect apparatus comprising:
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a backplane having a first side and a second side; a first plurality of connector rows, each row containing at least one connector mounted on said backplane in a generally parallel side by side relation with at least one connector of another one of said first plurality of rows, each connector within said first plurality of rows having a plurality of contacts, said connectors within said first plurality of rows mounted within a first area of said backplane; at least one switch fabric module having a plurality of input and a plurality of outputs, said switch fabric having a plurality of electrical contacts, said electrical contacts of said switch fabric electrically coupling said inputs and outputs of said at least one switch fabric module to selected ones of said contacts of connectors within said selected one of said first plurality of connector rows; a second plurality of connector rows, each row containing at least one connector mounted on said backplane in a generally parallel side by side relation with at least one connector of another one of said second plurality of rows, each connector within said second plurality of rows having a plurality of contacts, said connectors within said second plurality of rows mounted within a second area of said backplane, each one of said second plurality of connector rows containing a first connector having a first connector end disposed adjacent to at least one connector within one of said first plurality of connector rows, said second plurality of rows disposed non-parallel with respect to said first plurality of rows, and wherein said first area of said backplane does not overlap said second area of said backplane on either side of said backplane; at least one Input Output Module having a plurality of electrical contacts, said at least one Input Output Module electrical contacts being coupled to selected ones of said contacts of connectors within a selected one of said plurality of connectors within a selected row of said second plurality of connector rows, said at least one Input Output Module having a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports and being operative to receive data units at said input ports of said Input Output Module and to transmit data units to respective communication links from said output ports of said Input Output Module; and a plurality of signal lines for carrying digital information signals comprising at least first and second voltage levels, each of said plurality of signal lines interconnecting at least one contact of a connector within one of said first plurality of connector rows with a contact of a connector in each of only a subset of said second plurality of connectors; said switch fabric being operative to receive data units over at least one of said plurality of signal lines at selected ones of said plurality of inputs from said at least one Input Output Module and to forward said data units from said switch fabric through at least one of said plurality of outputs to said at least one Input Output Module over at least one said plurality of signal lines for transmission over the respective communication link. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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Specification