Granted Patent B2

US 9,158,863 · App. 13/712,308 · Granted Oct 13, 2015

Abstract

Claims (59)

1. A data acquisition system comprising:

a central controller to provide a data acquisition system signal, the data acquisition system signal comprising a column address and a row address;

a given cabinet to receive the data acquisition system signal, the given cabinet having given array of modules installed therein, the given cabinet comprising:

backplane connected to each module of the given array of modules, the backplane to provide a status request signal to a given module in the given array of modules if the given module is assigned a module address identified by the data acquisition system signal, wherein the given module is to provide status data characterizing an operational status of the given module in response to the status request; and

another cabinet to receive the data acquisition system signal, the another cabinet having another array of modules installed therein, the another cabinet comprising:

a backplane connected to each of the another array of modules, the backplane to provide a status request signal to another module of the another array of modules if the another module is assigned a module address identified by the data acquisition system signal, wherein the another module is to provide status data characterizing an operational status of the another module in response to the status request

wherein the central controller, the given cabinet and the another cabinet are connected by a ribbon cable;

wherein the data acquisition system signal comprises a cabinet address and wherein each of the given and the another cabinet comprises a cabinet interface to provide only the column address and the row address of the data acquisition system signal to the cabinet backplane if the cabinet address identified in the data acquisition system signal matches a cabinet address assigned to a respective cabinet.

2. The data acquisition system of claim 1 , wherein the backplane of the given cabinet comprises a plurality of dip switches to assign a module address to each module in the given array of modules.

3. The data acquisition system of claim 1 , wherein the given module is a power amplifier module comprising:

a power amplifier; and

a power amplifier module controller to:

determine an operational temperature of the power amplifier;

determine an operational power of the power amplifier;

determine a fault status of the power amplifier; and

provide the status data, wherein the status data characterizes the operational temperature, the operational power and the fault status of the power amplifier.

4. A data acquisition system comprising:

a central controller to provide a data acquisition system signal, the data acquisition system signal comprising a column address and a row address; and

a cabinet to receive the data acquisition system signal, the cabinet having an array of modules installed therein, the cabinet comprising:

a backplane connected to each module of the array of modules, the backplane to provide a status request signal to a given module in the array of modules if the given module is assigned a module address identified by the data acquisition system signal, wherein the given module is to provide status data characterizing an operational status of the given module in response to the status request; wherein the data acquisition system signal further comprises a power amplifier selector signal and wherein the given module is a power amplifier module comprising:

a plurality of power amplifiers; and

a power amplifier module controller to:

determine an operational temperature of a power amplifier identified in the power amplifier selector signal;

determine an operational power of the power amplifier identified in the power amplifier selector signal;

determine a fault status of the power amplifier identified in the power amplifier selector signal; and

provide the status data, Wherein the status data characterizes the operational temperature, the operational power and the fault status of the power amplifier.

5. The data acquisition system of claim 1 , wherein the central controller is further to:

provide the data acquisition system signal for each of the modules in the given array of modules and the other array of modules in a sequential order; and

receive the status data from each of the modules in the given array of modules and the other array of modules in the sequential order.

6. The data acquisition system of claim 5 , wherein the central controller is further to analyze the status data from each of the modules in the given array of modules and the other array of modules to facilitate a generation of a graphical user interface (GUI) and/or an alpha numeric display that characterizes an operational state of each of the modules in given array of modules and the other array of modules.

7. The data acquisition system of claim 5 , wherein the central controller is to receive the status data from each of the modules in the given array of modules and the other array of modules over a common group of conductors in a ribbon cable connecting the central controller to the given cabinet and the other cabinet.

8. The data acquisition system of claim 7 , wherein the column address and the row address of the data acquisition system signal correspond to a physical location in the given cabinet and the other cabinet.

9. The data acquisition system of claim 8 , wherein the central controller is to provide the data acquisition system signal for up to 256 different modules.

10. A data acquisition system comprising:

a central controller to provide a data acquisition system signal for each module in an array of modules, each data acquisition system signal comprising:

a column address identifying a specific column of modules in the array of modules; and

a row address identifying a specific row of modules in the array of modules;

a cabinet address identifying a specific cabinet in an array of cabinets;

the array of cabinets to receive the data acquisition system signal, each cabinet having a proper subset of the array of modules installed therein, such that at least two of the modules in the array of modules are assigned an address with the same row and the same column, a given cabinet in the array of cabinets comprising:

a cabinet interface to provide only the column address and the row address of the data acquisition system signal if the cabinet address of the data acquisition system signal identifies an address assigned to the given cabinet;

a backplane connected to each module in the proper subset of the array of modules installed in the given cabinet, the backplane to:

receive the column address and the row address of the data acquisition system signal; and

provide a status request signal to a given module in the proper subset of modules of the array of modules installed in the given cabinet if the given module is assigned a module address identified by the column address and the row address of the data acquisition system signal, wherein the given module is to provide status data characterizing an operational status of the given module in response to the status request.

11. The data acquisition system of claim 10 , wherein the central controller is connected to the array of cabinets through a ribbon cable.

12. The data acquisition system of claim 11 , wherein the central controller is to receive the status data from each of the modules in the array of modules over a common group of conductors in the ribbon cable.

13. The data acquisition system of claim 11 , wherein the status data provided by each of module in the array of modules characterizes an operational status of a respective module.

14. The data acquisition system of claim 10 , wherein a given module in the array of modules is a power amplifier module to amplify a radio frequency (RF) signal.

15. A data acquisition system comprising:

a central controller to provide a data acquisition system signal to each module in an array of modules, each data acquisition system signal comprising:

a module address identifying a given module in the array of modules;

a cabinet address identifying a particular cabinet in an array of cabinets; and

a ribbon cable to connect the central controller to each cabinet in the array of cabinets;

the array of cabinets to receive the data acquisition system signal via the ribbon cable, each cabinet having a proper subset of the array of modules installed therein, a given cabinet in the array of cabinets comprising:

a backplane connected to each module in the proper subset of the array of modules installed in the given cabinet, the backplane to:

provide a status request signal to the given module in the array of modules if the given module is installed in the given cabinet, wherein the given module is to provide status data characterizing an operational status of the given module in response to the status request; and

cabinet interface to provide only the column address and the row address of the data acquisition system signal to the cabinet backplane if the cabinet address identified in the data acquisition matches a cabinet address assigned to the given cabinet.

16. The data acquisition system of claim 15 , wherein the central controller is to receive the status data from each of the modules in the array of modules via a common group of conductors in the ribbon cable.

17. The data acquisition system of claim 15 , wherein the central controller is to provide control signal to the given module in the array of modules, wherein the given module is configured to execute a command in response to the control signal.

18. The data acquisition system of claim 15 , wherein the central controller is assigned a module address that is different from a module address assigned to each of the modules in the array of modules.

Assignments (7)