Power distribution assembly

• US 6,069,797 A
• Filed: 12/29/1998
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Luptak, Joseph P. III, Flood, Stephen P., Widmayer, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, David
• Application Number:
  US09/222,605
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 361/760, 361/788, 361/601, 361/688, 361/697, 361/722, 330/66, 330/295, 174/52.1, 174/52.4, 455/3.1, 455/3.3, 455/4.1, 455/6.1
• US Class Current: 361/760
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/104 Switchers or splitters

Abstract

A power distribution assembly (100) that comprises at least two direct current power supplies (106, 107), at least three signal splitter modules (102-104), wherein each signal splitter modules comprises a signal splitter and a radio frequency amplifier, a centerplane board (110) coupled to the at least three signal splitter modules (102-104) and to the at least two direct current power supply modules(106, 107), wherein the centerplane board (110) provides a plurality of electrical paths among a plurality of modules contained in the power distribution assembly (100), and a chassis (101) to which the modules (102-104, 106, 107) and the centerplane board (110) are mounted, and has an overall volume of at most 0.009 cubic meters.

Claims

1. A power distribution assembly comprising:

at least three signal splitter modules, wherein each of the at east three signal splitter modules comprises at least one input connector and a plurality of output connectors;

at least two direct current power supply modules;

a centerplane board coupled to the at least three signal splitter modules and to the at least two direct current power supply modules, wherein the centerplane board provides a plurality of electrical paths among a plurality of modules contained in the power distribution assembly;

a chassis that comprises mounting patterns for the at least three signal splitter modules, the at least two direct current power supply modules, and the at least one centerplane board; and

wherein the at least three signal splitters modules, the at least two direct current power supply modules, and the at least one centerplane board are all mounted in the chassis and, along with the chassis, are all contained within an overall volume of at most 0.009 cubic meters.

2. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the at least three signal splitter modules and the at least two direct current power supply modules comprises a blindmate interface to the at least one centerplane board.

3. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the at least three signal splitter modules comprises at least one power element.

4. The power distribution assembly of claim 3, wherein the at least one power element comprises at least one amplifier circuit deposited on a printed circuit board.

5. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the at least three signal splitter modules further comprises a cover and a heat sink base.

6. The power distribution assembly of claim 5, wherein the heat ink base has a power dissipation of at least 3 watts per 0.0003 cubic meters.

7. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, wherein the chassis further comprises guides for the proper positioning of each of the at least three splitter modules in the power distribution assembly and wherein each splitter module of the at least three splitter modules further comprises guides that align with the guides of the chassis.

8. The power distribution assembly of claim 7, wherein each splitter module of the at least three splitter modules further comprises a cutout to facilitate the coupling of the at least one input connector of the splitter module to an external device.

9. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, further comprising an interconnect module that is coupled to the centerplane board and mounted in the chassis, wherein the interconnect module provides a plurality of electrical paths between one or more circuits within the power distribution assembly and devices external to the power distribution assembly, and wherein the chassis further comprises mounting patterns for the at least one interconnect module.

10. The power distribution assembly of claim 9, wherein the interconnect module further comprises connectors providing at least 64 interconnections.

11. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one power distribution assembly diagnostic module that is coupled to the centerplane board and mounted in the chassis, which module comprises power distribution assembly diagnostic circuitry, and wherein the chassis further comprises mounting patterns for the least one power distribution assembly diagnostic module.

12. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least three signal splitter modules are coupled to the at least two direct current power supply modules via the centerplane board without the provision of any cabling.

13. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least three signal splitter modules comprises a first signal splitter module, a second signal splitter module, and a third signal splitter module, wherein the first signal splitter module, the second signal splitter module, and the third signal splitter module are co-planar in position, and wherein all of the output connectors of the first signal splitter module, the second signal splitter module, and the third signal splitter module are co-planar in position.

14. The power distribution assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least three signal splitter modules comprises a first signal splitter module, a second signal splitter module, a third signal splitter module, a fourth signal splitter module, a fifth signal splitter module, and a sixth signal splitter module.

15. The power distribution assembly of claim 14, wherein the first signal splitter module, the second signal splitter module, and the third signal splitter module are co-planar in position, wherein the fourth signal splitter module, the fifth signal splitter module, and the sixth signal splitter module are co-planar in position, and wherein the plane comprising the first signal splitter module, the second signal splitter module, and the third signal splitter module is different from and parallel to the plane comprising the fourth signal splitter module, the fifth signal splitter module, and the sixth signal splitter module, wherein all of the output connectors of the first signal splitter module, the second signal splitter module, and the third signal splitter module are co-planar in position and wherein all of the output connectors of the fourth signal splitter module, the fifth signal splitter module, and the sixth signal splitter module are co-planar in position.

16. A power distribution assembly comprising:

at least two signal splitter modules, wherein each of the at least two signal splitter modules comprises at least one input connector and a plurality of output connectors;

at least two direct current power supply modules;

an interconnect module providing a plurality of electrical paths between one or more circuits within the power distribution assembly and devices external to the power distribution assembly;

a centerplane board coupled to the at least two signal splitter modules, the at least two direct current power supply modules, and the interconnect module, wherein the centerplane board provides a plurality of electrical paths among a plurality of modules contained in the power distribution assembly;

a chassis that comprises mounting patterns for the at least two signal splitter modules, the at least two direct current power supply modules, the at least one interconnect module, and the at least one centerplane board; and

wherein the at least two signal splitters modules, the at least two direct current power supply modules, the interconnect module, and the centerplane board are all mounted in the chassis and, along with the chassis, are all contained within an overall volume of at most 0.009 cubic meters.

17. The power distribution assembly of claim 16, wherein each of the at least two signal splitter modules comprises at least one power element.

18. A power distribution assembly comprising:

at least three power amplifier modules, wherein each of the at least three power amplifier modules comprises a direct current distribution circuit, a signal splitter circuit, and at least one power element;

at least two direct current power supplies;

a printed circuit board coupled to the at least three power amplifier modules and the at least two direct current power supplies, wherein the printed circuit board provides a plurality of electrical paths among a plurality of modules contained in the power distribution assembly;

a chassis that comprises mounting patterns for the at least three power amplifier modules, the at least two direct current power supplies, and the at least one printed circuit board; and

wherein the at least three power amplifier modules, the at least two direct current power supplies, and the printed circuit board are all mounted in the chassis and, along with the chassis, are all contained within an overall volume of at most 0.009 cubic meters.

19. The power distribution assembly of claim 18, wherein the at least one power element comprises at least one amplifier circuit deposited on a printed circuit board.