Wireless bus

• US 6,771,935 B1
• Filed: 10/05/1998
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Leggett, Nickolaus E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHARLES CHIANG
• Application Number:
  US09/166,610
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 455/66, 455/90, 455/562.1, 455/74, 455/67.12, 455/300, 455/333, 455/41.2, 455/151.2, 455/41, 455/575.1, 455/550.1, 455/301, 455/66.1, 455/67.15, 455/81, 455/575.7, 455/90.3, 455/103, 359/163, 359/152, 359/173, 359/153, 359/222, 330/286, 330/65, 330/56, 330/66, 330/289, 330/295, 257/80-85, 257/98, 385/53, 385/24, 385/89, 385/49, 385/91, 385/129, 385/130, 250/551, 250/227.11, 250/227.23, 342/368, 342/372, 342/700, 343/777, 343/727, 343/771, 343/772, 343/754, 343/795, 361/784-804
• US Class Current: 455/66.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2275 associated to expansion card or bus, e.g. in PCMCIA, PC cards, Wireless USB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00

Abstract

In order to avoid mechanical assembly problems and transmission of undesired electrical currents among circuit cards or boards in a telecommunications switch or similar digital device, a conventional hard-wired midplane bus is replaced by a wireless bus. The wireless bus includes a radio frequency or light wave transceiver on each card. Antennas on respective cards can either be oriented within direct line-of-sight of each other, or can project into a waveguide which directs the transmitted signals past all the other antennas. For example, the waveguide may be a metal enclosure which surrounds all the cards. Alternatively, respective aligned apertures in the cards can define a continuous transmission path. A data rate exceeding 1 megabit per second and a transmission power on the order of 1 milliWatt are preferred, since the bus is intended for use within a single switch housing. Radio frequencies in the middle to high microwave range or light frequencies in the visible range are preferred for providing sufficient bandwidth and to facilitate servicing.

Claims

1. A microwave interconnection device comprising:

a waveguide for providing a microwave pathway for a plurality of electromagnetic microwave signals, wherein the waveguide comprises a plurality of circuit card interfacing slots; and

a plurality of circuit cards wherein each of the plurality of circuit cards comprises a microwave radio transceiver and a waveguide interfacing side wherein each waveguide interfacing side is proximate and electrically connected to a microwave antenna;

wherein each of the plurality of circuit cards is oriented with the waveguide interfacing side of each of the plurality of circuit cards proximate to a member of the plurality of circuit card interfacing slots of the waveguide to an extent sufficiently causing the microwave antenna of each of the plurality of circuit cards to project into the waveguide;

whereby the plurality of electromagnetic microwave signals are transmitted among the plurality of circuit card microwave antennas via the microwave radio frequency pathway provided by the waveguide.

2. The microwave interconnection device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electromagnetic microwave signals are encoded and decoded according to Time Division Multiple Access.

3. The microwave interconnection device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electromagnetic microwave signals are encoded and decoded according to Code Division Multiple Access.

4. A microwave interconnection device comprising:

a waveguide for providing a microwave pathway for a plurality of electromagnetic microwave signals, wherein the waveguide comprises a plurality of circuit card interfacing slots; and

a plurality of circuit cards wherein each of the plurality of circuit cards comprises a microwave radio transceiver and a waveguide interfacing side wherein each waveguide interfacing side is proximate and electrically connected to a microwave probe;

wherein each of the plurality of circuit cards is oriented with the waveguide interfacing side of each of the plurality of circuit cards proximate to a member of the plurality of circuit card interfacing slots of the waveguide to an extent sufficiently causing the microwave probe of each of the plurality of circuit cards to project into the waveguide;

whereby the plurality of electromagnetic microwave signals are transmitted among the plurality of circuit card microwave probes via the microwave radio frequency pathway provided by the waveguide.

5. The microwave interconnection device of claim 4 wherein the plurality of electromagnetic microwave signals are encoded and decoded according to Time Division Multiple Access.

6. The microwave interconnection device of claim 4 wherein the plurality of electromagnetic microwave signals are encoded and decoded according to Code Division Multiple Access.

7. A radio frequency interconnection device comprising:

(a) a waveguide comprising a plurality of interfacing slots, each interfacing slot adapted to physically receive a radio frequency (RF) antenna, wherein the waveguide supports an RF signal comprising at least one communications channel propagating therein; and

(b) a plurality of circuit cards, each circuit card comprising;

(i) one or more electrical components comprising a radio frequency transceiver, and

(ii) at least one RF antenna adapted to project into the waveguide via an interfacing slot and operatively engage the RF signal;

wherein said one or more electrical components external to the waveguide are substantially shielded from the RF signal.

8. The interconnection device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of interfacing slots are longitudinally arrayed along one or more sides of the waveguide.

9. The interconnection device of claim 8, wherein the one or more sides of the waveguide form a rectangular cross-section.

10. The interconnection device of claim 7, wherein the interconnection device is adapted to operatively couple a midplane of a telecommunications switch to the plurality of switch circuit cards.