System for interconnecting orthogonally disposed printed circuit boards and switching networks employing same

Claim 2

System for interconnecting orthogonally disposed printed circuit boards in respective first and second stacks, comprising first contact members disposed on facing edges of said boards in said two stacks assigned to connections between said boards, a mother board disposed perpendicular to said boards between said two stacks, and second contact members disposed on the same facing edges of said boards as said first contact members and defining with said first contact members a series of first multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said first stack and a series of second multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said second stack, wherein said mother board comprises a distribution network in the form of an array of conductive tracks assigned to distributing signals to said boards and third, connecting contact members and fourth, distribution contact members connected to said distribution network, disposed transversely to said mother board and defining on one side thereof a set of third multiway plug-in connectors having said first connectors plugged into them and on the other side thereof a set of fourth multiway plug-in connectors having said second connectors plugged into them and interconnecting said first contact members of corresponding first and second connectors via said connecting contact members and connecting said second contact members of each board to said distribution network via said distribution contact members.

Claim 3

System according to claim 1, wherein there are four contact members assigned to the connections between said orthogonal boards arranged at the corners of a square parallel to said mother board and having, in the case of said first and second connectors, two sides parallel to said boards.

Claim 4

System according to claim 2, wherein there are two second contact members in said first and second connectors, in opposed relation to each other in the connector concerned, and fourt distribution contact members in said third and fourth connectors, arranged in opposed pairs in the connector concerned.

Claim 5

System according to claim 3, wherein said second contact members are, as seen in cross-section in a plane parallel to said mother board, disposed at the centers of the two sides of said square parallel to the corresponding board.

Claim 6

System according to claim 1, wherein each of said connectors comprises an individual collar to protect the contact members of the connector.

Claim 7

System according to claim 5, wherein said collars of said first and second connectors comprise means for individually positioning said connectors along the edge of each of said boards receiving them and means for holding said connectors in alignment.

Claim 8

Matrix switching network for bidirectional circuits comprising three cascaded selection stages of which the center stage is symmetrical and each of which is defined by a stack of switching circuit boards implementing a system for interconnecting orthogonally disposed printed circuit boards in respective first and second stacks comprising first contact members disposed on facing edges of said boards in said two stacks assigned to connections between said boards, a mother board disposed perpendicular to said boards between said two stacks, and second contact members disposed on the same facing edges of said boards as said first contact members and defining with said first contact members a series of first multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said first stack and a series of second multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said second stack, wherein said mother board comprises a distribution network in the form of an array of conductive tracks assigned to distributing signals to said boards and third, connecting contact members and fourth, distribution contact members connected to said distribution network, disposed transversely to said mother board and defining on one side thereof a set of third multiway plug-in connectors having said first connectors plugged into them and on the other side thereof a set of fourth multiway plug-in connectors having said second connectors plugged into them and interconnecting said first contact members of corresponding first and second connectors via said connecting contact members and connecting said second contact members of each board to said distribution network via said distribution contact members, wherein there are four contact members assigned to the connections between said orthogonal boards arranged at the corners of a square parallel to said mother board and having, in the case of said first and second connectors, two sides parallel to said boards, and wherein each board of said first stack is assigned to said first and third selection stages and carries, in addition to said third multiway connectors, bidirectional input/original coaxial connectors for as many pairs of coaxial cables as there are first multiway connectors on the edges of the respective board adjacent that carrying said first connectors.

Claim 9

Matrix switching network for bidirectional circuits comprising three cascaded selection stages of which the center stage is symmetrical and each of which is defined by a stack of switching circuit boards implementing a system for interconnecting orthogonally disposed printed circuit boards in respective first and second stacks comprising first contact members disposed on facing edges of said boards in said two stacks assigned to connections between said boards, a mother board disposed perpendicular to said boards between said two stacks, and second contact members disposed on the same facing edges of said boards as said first contact members and defining with said first contact members a series of first multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said first stack and a series of second multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said second stack, wherein said mother board comprises a distribution network in the form of an array of conductive tracks assigned to distributing signals to said boards and third, connecting contact members and fourth, distribution contact members connected to said distribution network, disposed transversely to said mother board and defining on one side thereof a set of third multiway plug-in connectors having said first connectors plugged into them and on the other side thereof a set of fourth multiway plug-in connectors having said second connectors plugged into them and interconnecting said first contact members of corresponding first and second connectors via said connecting contact members and connecting said second contact members of each board to said distribution network via said distribution contact members, wherein there are four contact members assigned to the connections between said orthogonal boards arranged at the corners of a square parallel to said mother board and having, in the case of said first and second connectors, two sides parallel to said boards, and wherein each board of said first stack is assigned to said first and third selection stages and carries, in addition to said third multiway connectors, bidirectional input/original coaxial connectors for as many pairs of coaxial cables as there are first multiway connectors on the edges of the respective board adjacent that carrying said first connectors.

Claim 10

Switching network according to claim 7, wherein said mother board of said interconnecting system is further equipped with auxiliary connectors connected to said distribution network that it carries and assigned to applying signals to said distribution network.

Claim 11

Matrix switching network for bidirectional circuits comprising cascaded selection stages each defined by a stack of switching circuit boards implementing a system for interconnecting orthogonally disposed printed circuit boards in respective first and second stacks comprising first contact members disposed on facing edges of said boards in said two stacks assigned to connections between said boards, a mother board disposed perpendicular to said boards between said two stacks, and second contact members disposed on the same facing edges of said boards as said first contact members and defining with said first contact members a series of first multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said first stack and a series of second multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said second stack, wherein said mother board comprises a distribution network in the form of an array of conductive tracks assigned to distributing signals to said boards and third, connecting contact members and fourth, distribution contact members connected to said distribution network, disposed transversely to said mother board and defining on one side thereof a set of third multiway plug-in connectors having said first connectors plugged into them and on the other side thereof a set of fourth multiway plug-in connectors having said second connectors plugged into them and interconnecting said first contact members of corresponding first and second connectors via said connecting contact members and connecting said second contact members of each board to said distribution network via said distribution contact members, wherein said interconnecting system is employed between switching circuit boards constituting said boards of said first stack and forming part of terminal stages of said network and interface boards constituting said boards of said second stack and processing bidirectional circuits to which are assigned said switching circuit boards constituting said boards of said first stack.

Claim 12

Matrix switching network for bidirectional circuits comprising cascaded selection stages each defined by a stack of switching circuit boards implementing a system for interconnecting orthogonally disposed printed circuit boards in respective first and second stacks comprising first contact members disposed on facing edges of said boards in said two stacks assigned to connections between said boards, a mother board disposed perpendicular to said boards between said two stacks, and second contact members disposed on the same facing edges of said boards as said first contact members and defining with said first contact members a series of first multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said first stack and a series of second multiway plug-in connectors along the respective edge of each board of said second stack, wherein said mother board comprises a distribution network in the form of an array of conductive tracks assigned to distributing signals to said boards and third, connecting contact members and fourth, distribution contact members connected to said distribution network, disposed transversely to said mother board and defining on one side thereof a set of third multiway plug-in connectors having said first connectors plugged into them and on the other side thereof a set of fourth multiway plug-in connectors having said second connectors plugged into them and interconnecting said first contact members of corresponding first and second connectors via said connecting contact members and connecting said second contact members of each board to said distribution network via said distribution contact members, wherein said interconnecting system is employed between switching circuit boards constituting said boards of said first stack and forming part of terminal stages of said network and interface boards constituting said boards of said second stack and processing bidirectional circuits to which are assigned said switching circuit boards constituting said boards of said first stack.

Claim 13

Switching network according to claim 9, wherein said multiway connectors carried by said interface boards consist of hybrid connectors with pins and coaxial contacts and said third and fourth multiway connectors carried by said mother board of said interconnecting system consist in complementary hybrid connectors with pins and coaxial contact disposed on the facing edge of said interface boards and having their pins other than those defining said connecting and distribution contact members removed, and wherein said coaxial contacts on said mother board constitute input/output connections for said bidirectional circuits.

Claim 14

Switching network according to claim 10, wherein said mother board of said interconnecting system is further equipped with auxiliary connectors connected to said distribution network that it carries and assigned to applying signals to said distribution network.