Cable connector grid frame for a cable backplane system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9711889-B2
Application number	US-201314098204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Dec 5, 2013
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A cable backplane system includes a backplane having connector openings receiving corresponding cable connectors therein and a cable tray coupled to the backplane. The cable tray has side walls surrounding a cavity defining a raceway for cables interconnecting corresponding cable connectors. A cable connector grid frame supports the cable connectors and the cable connector grid frame is loaded into the cable tray to position the cable connectors and corresponding cables in the cable tray as a unit. The cable connector grid frame includes side rails and center rails held between the side rails and forming a grid of cable connector openings between the side rails and center rails. The cable connector openings receive corresponding headers of the cable connectors and hold the positions of the headers relative to one another.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable backplane system comprising:
a backplane having connector openings receiving corresponding cable connectors therein;
a cable tray coupled to the backplane, the cable tray having side walls surrounding a cavity defining a raceway for cables interconnecting corresponding cable connectors; and
a cable connector grid frame supporting the cable connectors, the cable connector grid frame comprising side rails and center rails, the center rails being separate and discrete pieces from the side rails and being individually secured thereto to form the cable connector grid frame, the center rails being held between the side rails and forming a grid of cable connector openings between the side rails and the center rails, the cable connector openings receiving corresponding headers of the cable connectors and holding positions of the headers relative to one another, wherein the cable connector grid frame and the cable connectors are assembled to form a cable connector grid frame and cable connector assembly that is loaded into the cable tray to position the cable connectors and corresponding cables in the cable tray as a unit to form a cable tray assembly, wherein the cable tray assembly, including the cable tray, the cable connector grid frame and the cable connectors with the corresponding cables, is then coupled to the backplane as a unit with the cable connector grid frame holding the cable connectors in the cable tray and positioning each of the cable connectors relative to the backplane for alignment and receipt in the corresponding connector openings.

2. The cable backplane system of claim 1 , wherein the cable connector grid frame holds mutually perpendicular X, Y, and Z positions of the headers with respect to one another.

3. The cable backplane system of claim 1 , wherein the side rails hold multiple center rails defining multiple rows of cable connector openings, each row of cable connector openings holding a plurality of headers of cable connectors.

4. The cable backplane system of claim 1 , wherein the cable connector grid frame comprises a rigid frame structure, the headers being loosely held in the cable connector openings such that the headers have a limited amount of floating movement in the cable connector openings relative to the rigid frame structure.

5. The cable backplane system of claim 1 , wherein each header is captured between two center rails.

6. The cable backplane system of claim 1 , wherein the center rails comprise notches, the headers comprising lugs extending therefrom, the lugs being received in corresponding notches, the notches being oversized relative to the lugs to allow the lugs to float within the notches to allow a limited amount of floating movement of the headers relative to the cable connector grid frame.

7. The cable backplane system of claim 6 , wherein the center rails separate two rows of cable connector openings, the notches being sized to receive lugs from headers in both rows of cable connector openings.

8. The cable backplane system of claim 1 , wherein the center rails are generally planar and extend along planes generally parallel to mating axes of the cable connectors, the center rails each comprise a front rail and a rear rail separate and discrete from each other and configured to be coupled to each other with the front rail being positioned forward of the rear rail along the mating axes, the headers comprising lugs extending therefrom, the lugs being captured between the corresponding front rail and rear rail.

9. The cable backplane system of claim 8 , wherein the headers are coupled to the front rail prior to the rear rail being coupled to at least one of the front rail and the side rails, the headers being captured between the front rail and the rear rail.

10. The cable backplane system of claim 1 , wherein the side rails extend along side axes, the side rails including slots spaced apart along the side axes of the side rails, the center rails received in corresponding slots to hold positions of the side rails along the side axes.

11. The cable backplane system of claim 1 , wherein the center rails are secured to the side rails to fix positions of the center rails relative to the side rails.

12. The cable backplane system of claim 11 , wherein the center rails are secured to the side rails by at least one of fasteners or clamps.

13. The cable backplane system of claim 11 , wherein the center rails are secured to the side rails by tabs extending from the center rails.

14. A cable backplane system comprising:
a cable connector grid frame for supporting cable connectors, the cable connector grid frame comprising side rails and center rails, the center rails being separate and discrete pieces from the side rails and being individually held between the side rails to form a rigid frame structure, the side rails and the center rails being generally planar and extending along planes generally parallel to mating axes of the cable connectors, the cable connector grid frame comprising cable connector openings defined between the center rails, the cable connector openings configured to receive corresponding headers of the cable connectors, the center rails having notches formed therein configured to receive lugs of the headers to support the headers between the center rails to hold positions of the headers relative to one another, the notches being oversized relative to the lugs to allow a limited amount of floating movement of the headers in the cable connector openings relative to the rigid frame structure;
wherein the cable connector grid frame and the cable connectors are preassembled to a cable tray to form a cable tray assembly configured to be coupled to a backplane as a unit with the cable connector grid frame holding the cable connectors in the cable tray and positioning each of the cable connectors relative to the backplane for alignment of the cable connectors with the backplane.

15. The cable backplane system of claim 14 , wherein the side rails hold multiple center rails defining multiple rows of cable connector openings, each row of cable connector openings holding a plurality of headers of cable connectors.

16. The cable backplane system of claim 14 , wherein the center rails each comprise a front rail and a rear rail, the lugs being captured between the corresponding front rail and rear rail.

17. The cable backplane system of claim 16 , wherein the headers are coupled to the front rail prior to the rear rail being coupled to at least one of the front rail and the side rails, the headers being captured between the front rail and the rear rail.

18. The cable backplane system of claim 14 , wherein the side rails extend along side axes, the side rails including slots spaced apart along the side axes of the side rails, the center rails received in corresponding slots to hold positions of the side rails along the side axes.

19. The cable backplane system of claim 14 , wherein the center rails are secured to the side rails to fix positions of the center rails relative to the side rails.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Sechrist Joshua Tyler
• Rossman Jared Evan

Classifications

• H02G3/081

  Bases, casings or covers · CPC title

• H02G3/18

  providing line outlets · CPC title

• H05K7/1449

  with connections to the back board · CPC title

• H02G3/083

  Inlets · CPC title

• H01R13/514 Primary

  composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them · CPC title