Technical Field

The present invention relates to a communications network of data stations which may be processors, terminals and the like, and more particu¬ larly to a system for selectively coupling a plurality of such data stations into a single communications path.

Background Art

Several known prior art techniques have been proposed for coupling a plurality of electronic units into a single communications path.

U.S. Patent No. 4,412,326 illustrates the serial insertion of conventional passive T-connectors or taps -into a bidirectional communications signal path between reflection-limiting terminators so that a plurality of data stations can be coupled into the resultant communications link.

A problem experienced with known prior art techniques is that of providing a system in which any data station can be readily coupled to, or readily decoupled from, a plurality of taps in a single communications path without degrading the performance of the communications network.

Disclosure of the Invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a system for selectively coupling a plurality of data stations into a single communications path in which the above-mentioned problem is substantially overcome.

According to the invention there is provided a system for coupling a plurality of data stations into a single communications path, said system including a plurality of tap means serially coupled

into said communications path, characterized by a plurality of connection means for selectively coupling the data stations to selected ones of said plurality of tap means, each of said tap means including a first impedance equivalent of the characteristic impedance of said communications path, and receptacle means having a first portion responsive to the coupling of a said connection means to said first portion for coupling said first impedance serially into said communications path and for coupling the station associated with that connection means into said communications path by way of said first impedance.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a plurality of stations selectively coupled to a single communications path by way of a system in accordance with the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate how a tap box of FIG. 1 is assembled and serially coupled into the single communications path of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a communications network 10 which broadly shows the system of the invention for selectively coupling a plurality of stations SJ_-SN- into a single or common bidirectional communications path 11 by means of N tap boxes TB]_ - TB^j, where X can be any integer between 1 and N-3. The communications network

10 can be formed, for example, within a store building, within a city or within some larger geographical area, depending on the desired applica¬ tion for the network 10. The stations S]_-SN-X may be comprised of processors, terminals or the like.

The tap boxes TBi-TBjj are serially coupled into the path 11 by path segments ll]_-lljj-ι to form part of the path 11. Each of the path segments llj.- lljj-i can be, for example, a coaxial cable or a twisted pair cable. The plurality of stations SJ_-SN-X are respectively coupled to connection means or tap cables TC]_-TCN-X. Couplers P].-PN-X' such as plugs, are respectively connected to the ends of the tap cables to readily enable the tap cables TC]_- TCN- to be respectively coupled to, for example, tap boxes TBi and TB3- BN. In this manner, any of the tap cables TCJ_-TCN-X can be readily inserted into, as well as readily removed from, any desired ones of the tap boxes TBi-TBβj. As will be explained later, by cou¬ pling a tap cable TC2, for example, into a tap box TB3, for example, the station S2 is coupled into the path 11 by way of the tap box TB3.

Although N-X stations (SJ-SN- ) are shown in FIG. 1, any number of stations between 2 and N may be used in a network 10 using N tap boxes (TBi~TBjj). As will be explained later, any of the stations being used in the network 10 can be readily coupled to or readily decoupled from a desired tap box (by way of the tap cable associated with the station) without degrading the performance of the communications net¬ work 10.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate how a tap box of FIG. 1 is assembled and serially coupled into the single communications path 11 of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, a tap box TB is comprised of a plastic back plate 15, a metal housing portion 16, a metal lid 17 and a large plastic cover 18. The

housing portion 16 and its contents are shown in greater detail in FIG. 3.

The plastic back plate 15 may be permanently mounted in the desired position and orientation to, for example, a wall (not shown) by screws (not shown) which pass through holes 19 and 21 in the plate 15. Knock-out portions 23-26 are provided in the back plate 15 to enable, for example, coaxial cables or path segments (such as llι_-llu-ι in FIG. 1) to come from the wall when some or all of the cables 11T_-11N-I run out of sight behind the wall. When the cables, such as coaxial cables 11^ and llg in FIG. 3, are to be run along the outer surface of the wall, slots 27 and 28 in the tap box housing portion 16 (FIG. 3) enable the cables 11& and llg to enter and exit the housing portion 16. In such a case, none of the knock-outs 23-26 in the back plate 15 needs to be removed.

After the back plate 15 is mounted to a wall, the metal housing portion 16 is first properly orient¬ ed with respect to locating pins 31 and 32 on the back plate 15 before being snapped onto an upraised portion or snap 33, located in the middle of the back plate 15, by conventional snapping means (not shown) on the underside of the housing portion 16. Also located on the underside of the housing portion 16 are two holes (not shown) for respectively receiving the locating pins 31 and 32. Note that with this mounting arrangement the housing portion 16 can be readily mounted onto the back plate 15 in either of two orien¬ tations, each being 180 degrees of angular rotation from the other. Similarly, the housing portion 16 can readily be unsnapped or removed from the back plate 15.

After the housing portion 16 is mounted to the back plate 15, a printed circuit board (PCB) 35 is mounted in the housing portion 16 by, for example.

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screws 37 and 38, as shown in FIG. 3. For the sake of clarity of description of FIG. 3, the circuitry of the PCB 35 is not shown in FIG. 3 but is shown in each of FIGS. 4 and 5 and, thus, will be described later. A tap cable TC coupled to one of the stations SI-SN- (FIG. 1) is then coupled to a receptacle means 39 (to be explained) by means of a coupler 41, such as a monaural or stereo plug. One or two trunk or coaxial cables 11^ and llg are then coupled to the housing portion 16.

As shown in FIG. 1 only one coaxial cable is needed to be connected to each of the first and last tap boxes along the single communications path 11. More specifically, tap box TBi has only an output coaxial cable Hi since TB is the first tap box being utilized in the path 11 (by station Si) and is there¬ fore at the start of the path 11. Similarly, tap box TBJJ has only an input coaxial cable lljj-l since TB^j is the last tap box being utilized in the path 11 (by station SJJ-X) and is therefore at the end of the path 11. All intermediate tap boxes in the path 11 require both input and output coaxial cables. For example, tap box TB2 has an input coaxial cable Hi and an output coaxial cable 112-

For purposes of illustration the tap box housing portion 16 in FIG. 3 is shown with both input and output coaxial cables 11& and llg. It should, however, be understood that if the tap box, of which this housing portion 16 is a part, were either the first or the last tap box being utilized in the path 11 by a station, only one of the cables 11& and llg would be required.

In FIG. 3, the coaxial cables 11& and llg are shown for a surface-mounted installation of a tap box. As a result, the cables 11& and llg are routed through slots 27 and 28 and respectively clamped by clamps 43 and 45 to provide strain relief for the cables 11& and

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llg. Center conductors 47 and 49 of the respective cables 11& and llg are connected to the PCB 35 via screws 51 and 53. Clamps 55 and 57 are utilized to respectively clamp shields (not shown) of the cables 11& and llg to the metal housing portion 16 to com¬ plete the electrical connections of the cables 11& and llg to the PCB 35. As is well known in the art, a shield of a coaxial cable is typically a braided conductor that surrounds and is separated from a center conductor (such as 47 or 49) by a dielectric. An insulating outer covering surrounds the shield and has to be selectively stripped off to expose a portion of the shield.

A shorting or terminating link 59 is pivotally connected to a terminating network (FIGS. 4 and 5) by a screw 61. When the housing portion 16 of FIG. 3 is part of an intermediate one of the tap boxes TBi-Tgpj, such as TB3, a free end 63 of the link 59 is placed in an open or unconnected position, as shown in FIG. 3. However, when only one cable 11A' f° ^r exam¬ ple, is being used, the free end 63 of the shorting link 59 is connected to the screw 53 to couple the terminating network across the coaxial cable 11& to terminate .the path 11 (FIG. 1) in its characteristic impedance. Such a terminating network is coupled to the path 11 at both the beginning and ending of the path 11 to minimize reflections in the path 11.

After the housing portion 16 is fully assembled, as shown in FIG. 3, the metal lid 17 is snapped over the housing portion 16 to form an en¬ closed metal housing which provides electrical conti¬ nuity to the components inside of that enclosed metal housing. In addition, the enclosed metal housing prevents signal radiation to the outside of that housing and further isolates the components in the tap box from external signal radiations. Finally, knock¬ outs in the large plastic cover 18 (FIG. 2), such as

knock-outs 65 and 67 are selectively removed in accor¬ dance with the direction that the cables 11^ and llg are entering the housing portion 16. Here again, if only one cable is entering the housing portion 16, only one of the knock-outs would be removed. Other wise, two knock-outs would be removed. The plastic cover 18 is then snapped over the enclosed metal housing consisting of housing portion 16 and lid 17. The plastic back plate 15 and large plastic cover 18 provide a resultant plastic housing to insulate a user from electrical shock due to, for example, lightning or power surges.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a first embodiment of the invention will be discussed. A tap cable TC is connected at a first end (FIG. 1) to one of the sta¬ tions SI-SN-X and at a second end to the coupler or plug 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the coupler 41 is a monaural plug having a sleeve 41& and a tip 41g. A receptacle means 39 in a tap box TB^ is adapted to receive the plug 41 when it is desired to couple the station associated with the plug 41 into the path 11 via the path segments or coaxial cables 11& and llg.

In this first embodiment, the receptacle means 39 includes a stereo jack 69 having a grounded sleeve 71, a ring contact or first portion 73 and a tip contact or second portion 75. An exemplary 100 ohm resistor 77 is coupled between the sleeve 71 and ring contact 73 of the jack 69.

Serially connected inductors 79 and 81 are respectively coupled to contacts 83 and 85 of a switch 87, while the junction of the inductors 79 and 81 is connected to the tip contact 75. Center conductors 89 and 91 of the coaxial cables 11 _& and llg are also respectively coupled to the contacts 83 and 85 by way of connection points 93 and 95 respectively.

When the plug 41 is not inserted into the stereo jack 69, the inductors 79 and 81 are shorted

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out by closed contacts 83 and 85 of the switch 87, as shown in FIG. 4. Thus, the center conductors 89 and 91 of the cables 11& and llg are directly connected together.

When the plug 41 is partially inserted into the stereo jack 69, the sleeve 41^ and tip 41g of the plug 41 respectively contact the sleeve 71 and ring contact 73 of the stereo jack 69. This connects the 100 ohm resistor 77 between the tip 41g and sleeve 41& of the tap cable plug 41. This resistor 77 provides the proper termination to the tap cable TC to enable its associated station to test itself. The contacts 83 and 85 of the switch 87 remain closed.

When the plug 41 is fully inserted into the stereo jack 69, the tip 41g of the plug 41 contacts the tip contact 75 of the stereo jack 69, causing the contacts 83 and 85 of the switch 87 to open. The inductors 79 and 81 are now connected in series with the coaxial cables 11& and llg, and the tap cable TC is now connected between the junction of the inductors 79 and 81 and ground by way of the tip contact 75 and sleeve 71, respectively, of the stereo jack 69. The resistor 77, which is not needed or used at this time, is shorted out by the sleeve 41^ of the plug 41.

When two coaxial cables 11& and llg are inputted to the tap box TB&, the free end 63 of the shorting link 59 is in the open position, as shown in FIG. 4. However, when only one of the cables 11^ and llg is to used, the free end 63 of the shorting link 59, which link 59 is connected to a terminating net¬ work 97, is positioned to make electrical contact with that one of the connection points 93 and 95 not con¬ nected to a coaxial cable. The network 97 may in¬ clude, for example, a resistor 97& coupled between a connection point 97g and ground and also coupled across a serially-connected capacitor 97 and resistor 97Q combination. The components in the network 97 are

so selected that the impedance of the terminating network 97 is approximately equal to the characteris¬ tic impedance of the path 11. Thus, the link 59 places the network 97 across the coaxial cable 11& or llg to terminate the path 11 in its characteristic impedance and minimize reflections in the path 11.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a second embodiment of the invention will now be discussed. Essentially, the major difference between the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 relates to different receptacle means used in FIGS. 4 and 5. The remaining components in FIG. 5 are similar in structure and operation to the correspond¬ ing components in FIG. 4 and, hence, require no fur¬ ther explanation.

In FIG. 5 a receptacle means 39A used in a tap box TBg includes an audio jack 101 having a sleeve 103 and a tip contact 105, and a test jack 107 having a sleeve 109 and a tip contact 111. A 100 ohm termi¬ nating resistor 113 is coupled between the sleeve 109 and tip contact 111 of the test jack 107.

In operation, when the plug 41 is not inserted into either of the jacks 101 and 107, the inductors 79 and 81 are again shorted out by the closed contacts of the switch 87. Thus, the center conductors 89 and 91 of the cables 11^ and llg are directly connected together. The terminating resistor 113 is not connected.

When the plug 41 is inserted into the test jack 107, the sleeve 41& and tip 41g of the plug 41 respectively contact the sleeve 109 and tip contact 111 of the test jack 107. This connects the terminat¬ ing resistor 113 between the sleeve 41& and tip 41g of the tap cable plug 41 to enable the station associated with the tap cable TC to test itself by way of a loop test. The contacts 83 and 85 of the switch 87 remain closed, thereby keeping the inductors 79 and 81 shorted out.

When the plug 41 is inserted into the audio jack 101, the tip 41g of the plug 41 makes contact with the tip contact 105 of the jack 101, causing the contacts 83 and 85 of the switch 87 to open. The inductors 79 and 81 are now connected in series with the coaxial cables 11& and llg, and the tap cable TC is now connected between the junction of the inductors 79 and 81 and ground by way of the tip contact 105 and sleeve 103 of the jack 101.

It should be noted at this time that in both of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5, the total induc¬ tance of the inductors 79 and 81 is so chosen that this total inductance of the inductors 79 and 81, the capacitance of the tap cable TC itself, and the capac¬ itance presented by the associated station effectively present an equivalent circuit which simulates or -approximates the characteristic impedance of the path 11.

The invention thus provides a system for selectively coupling a plurality of stations into a single communications path which includes a sequence of tap boxes. Any of the stations can be coupled into, decoupled from, or repositioned in the single communications path without degrading the communica¬ tions link.