Variable spare circuit group size and quantity having multiple active circuits

• US 6,662,368 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2000
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Arris International, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cloonan, Thomas J., Cepeda, Ubaldo, Ryan, Gerald P., Hickey, Daniel W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US09/659,193
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.716, H04/N.7173, 725/111, 725/110, 725/114, 725/116, 725/117, 725/93, 725/138, 725/146, 725/147, 370/216, 370/217, 714/3, 714/4, 714/6, 375/222
• US Class Current: 725/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

A plurality of daisy-chained switching circuit cards are each coupled to a different active circuit card. Feed-through circuit cards are each coupled to spare circuit cards having substantially identical circuitry to the active circuit cards. The feed-through circuit cards are also daisy-chained with the switches on the switching circuit cards. The switching circuit cards can replace the feed-through circuit cards and the active circuit cards replace the spare circuit cards in order to vary the size of the spare groups (a group of spare circuit cards and active circuit cards) and also the quantity of the spare groups.

Claims

1. A cable modem system for providing variable spare circuit group sizes and variable quantities of spare circuit groups, the system comprising:

a group of one or more active circuits that provide information signals;

at least one spare circuit, each spare circuit comprising circuitry that is substantially similar to each of the group of one or more active circuits; and

a plurality of switching circuits, each switching circuit being coupled to, and corresponding to, one of either the group of one or more active circuits or the at least one spare circuit, wherein each switching circuit corresponding to one of the active circuits comprises a switch having a first input which is daisy-chain coupled with an immediately preceding switching circuit, a second input coupled to said corresponding active circuit, and a connection for inputting and outputting RF signals to and from subscriber cable modems, and wherein each corresponding switching circuit coupled to one of the at least one spare circuit comprises a feed-through switch circuit with an input coupled to said spare circuit and an output which is daisy-chained coupled to a succeeding switching circuit associated with an active circuit.

2. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one active circuits are embodied on separate circuit cards.

3. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one spare circuits are embodied on separate circuit cards.

4. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one switching circuits is embodied on separate circuit cards.

5. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein each of the group of one or more active circuits is substantially similar to the other active circuits of the group of one or more active circuits.

6. The cable modem system of claim 1 and further comprising a master controller, coupled to the plurality of switching circuits, for monitoring the information signals from the active circuits and providing a control signal to a particular switching circuit upon failure of an active circuit coupled to the particular switching circuit.

7. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein the information signal is a radio frequency signal comprising modulated information.

8. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein the information signal is a digital self-test signal indicating a status of the active circuit.

9. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of switching circuits provides an output for the information signals.

10. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein a first pole of the switch of each of the switching circuits is coupled to one of an immediately preceding feed-through switch circuit or an immediately preceding throw of the switch of a preceding switching circuit.

11. The cable modem system of claim 1 wherein a second pole of the switch of each of the switching circuits is coupled to the information signal from one of the active circuits of the plurality of active circuits.

12. A method for generating variable spare circuit group sizes and variable quantities of spare circuit groups in a cable modem termination system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing information signals from a group of one or more active circuits;

providing at least one spare circuit to backup a group of one or more active circuit card, said spare circuit having circuitry substantially similar to each of the group of one or more active circuits;

coupling a dedicated switching circuit of a plurality of switching circuits to a corresponding one of the group of one or more active circuit cards or to one of the at least one spare circuit, wherein each switching circuit card coupled to an active circuit comprises a switch having a first input that is daisy-chain coupled with an immediately preceding switching circuit, a second input coupled to said corresponding active circuit and a connection for inputting and outputting RF signals to and from subscriber cable modems, and wherein each dedicated switching circuit coupled to each spare circuit comprises a feed-through switch circuit with a single input coupled to said spare circuit and a single output which is daisy-chained coupled to a succeeding switching circuit corresponding to an active circuit.

13. The method of claim 12 and further comprising the steps of:

coupling a first controller circuit to each of the switching circuits;

the first controller circuit monitoring a status of the group of one or more active circuits; and

if the status is found to be faulty, the first controller circuit generating a control signal to the switching circuit that is coupled to the active circuit whose status was found to be faulty, such that the switch of the switching circuit is made to switch positions.

14. The method of claim 13 and further comprising the step of coupling a second controller circuit, substantially similar to the first controller circuit, to each of the switching circuits.

15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising the steps of the first controller circuit performing a self-test operation to determine a status of the first controller circuit;

and

if the status of the first controller circuit indicates a malfunction of the first controller circuit, the second controller circuit taking control of the switching circuits from the first controller circuit.

16. A cable modem termination system for providing variable spare circuit group sizes and variable quantities of spare circuit groups in a cable modem environment, the system comprising:

a group of one or more active cable interface circuit cards that provide radio frequency signals;

at least one spare cable interface circuit card, each spare cable interface circuit card comprising circuitry that is substantially similar to each of the group of one or more active cable interface circuit cards;

a plurality of switching circuit cards, each switching circuit card being coupled to, and corresponding to, one of either the group of one or more active circuit cards or the at least one spare cable interface circuit card, wherein each switching circuit card corresponding to an active circuit card comprises a switch having a first input which is daisy-chain coupled with a switch circuit from an immediately preceding switching circuit card, a second input coupled to said dedicated active cable interface circuit card and a connection for inputting and outputting RF signals to and from subscriber cable modems, and wherein each switching circuit card coupled to the one of the at least one spare cable interface circuit card comprises a feed-through switch circuit with a single input coupled to said spare cable interface circuit card and a single output which is daisy-chained coupled to a succeeding switching circuit card that is coupled with an active circuit card; and

a first controller circuit card comprising controller circuitry coupled to each switch of the plurality of switching circuit card switches, the controller circuitry generating control signals for switching a position of the switch on a first switching circuit card in response to a detection of faulty operation on a first active cable interface circuit card of the plurality of active cable interface circuit cards.

17. The system of claim 16 and further comprising a mid-plane circuit card having mechanical and electrical means for coupling each of the group of one or more active cable interface circuit cards to a different switching circuit card, and for coupling each of the at least one spare cable interface circuit card to a different feed-through switch circuit card, the mid-plane circuit card additionally coupling the first controller circuit card to each of the switching circuit cards.

18. The system of claim 16 and further including a second controller card comprising controller circuitry substantially similar to the controller circuitry of the first controller card.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the second controller card is coupled to the mid-plane circuit card such that it is mechanically coupled to and electrically isolated from the plurality of switching circuit cards.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the second controller is electrically coupled to the plurality of switching circuit cards upon a fail status of the first controller card.